U.S. Equestrian Federation president David O'Connor moderated an open forum held on March 14, 2012, at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center in Wellington, Florida. The forum continued an ongoing discussion about the status of show jumping in the United States. O'Connor, a top international eventing rider before he became USEF president, is sponsored by Kentucky Equine Research.

Topics such as governance, horse show consistency, stewards, and a pipeline for developing riders were the main focus of the discussion. O'Connor stated that he wanted to concentrate on the strategic process of improving the sport and the tactical side of accomplishing these goals. About 30 USEF officials, riders, owners, trainers, course designers, judges, and stewards attended the meeting.

Two riders sponsored by Kentucky Equine Research (KER) had a good weekend at the Red Hills International Horse Trials held in early March in Tallahassee, Florida. Phillip Dutton showed horses with varying amounts of experience and rode in multiple divisions. He finished in second, sixth, and ninth places in the Advanced division, second and ninth places in the CIC** division, and first and third places in the CIC***division. Mystery Whisper, his winning mount at this most difficult level, scored almost 15 points ahead of the runner-up rider in dressage.

Karen O'Connor, who is also a Pennfield Promise Partner, rode to first and fifth honors in the Open Intermediate division, and was fifth and tenth in the CIC***division.   

Karen O'Connor, a top three-day event rider sponsored by Kentucky Equine Research (KER), will conduct a Winter O'Connor Event Team Camp for anyone wanting to improve eventing skills. The camp will be held in Ocala, Florida, from December 27 to January 1.

As one of the special features of the camp, KER president Joe Pagan, Ph.D., will lecture attendees on the importance of proper equine nutrition and its role in performance horse welfare.

Horsemanship and stable management skills, grooming techniques, and instruction in dressage, cross-country, and show jumping will also be included.

Karen, a longtime user of KER products for her competition horses, has been named to the USEF High Performance Training List in its latest update for the 2012 Land Rover U.S. Eventing Team. She is listed with her 12-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding Mr. Medicott. Karen is also sponsored by KER Team Member Pennfield Equine Feed Technologies.

Out of nearly 1,600 entries, the lucky grand prize winner of Kentucky Equine Research's recent drawing for a rider's slot at the 2011 O'Connor Equestrian Camp was Melissa Fox of Leesburg, Va.

Fox will attend the camp, which will be held June 26-July 1 at the Virginia Horse Center, with her Thoroughbred gelding, Diamond Legacy. Fox is an HA-rated member of the U.S. Pony Club and competes at the Preliminary level. She is planning to move up to Intermediate level and compete in a classic CCI* with steeplechase this fall.

The second-place winner, who will receive $250 in his choice of KER products as well as a prize pack, was Barry Sheinbaum of Nuevo, Calif. Sheinbaum is a dressage rider and trainer who specializes in Norwegian Fjord horses.

"I am very careful about my horses' diets, and appreciate that KER offers a variety of supplements that can help my horses lead sound, happy lives," Sheinbaum said. "I am especially pleased to have won the nutritional consultation so I can assess my feeding program."

The third-place winner, recipient of a prize pack and $150 in KER supplements, was Karen Tankersley of Twin Tree Farm in Pendleton, SC. Tankersley evented through the Intermediate level and works in the Research Farms Division of Clemson University.

Kentucky Equine Research (KER) is an international equine nutrition, research, and consultation company serving both the horse producer and the feed industry. Its goal is to advance the industry's knowledge of equine nutrition and exercise physiology and apply this knowledge to produce healthier, more athletic horses. Subscribe to KER newsletters and follow the company on Facebook for news and upcoming contests.

Want to ride with Olympic three-day eventers David and Karen O'Connor? Kentucky Equine Research (KER) is proud to offer one grand prize winner a rider's slot at the 2011 O'Connor Equestrian Camp, to be held at the Virginia Horse Center June 26-July 1. Enter the contest.

The grand prize winner will take his or her own horse to camp to learn:

• O'Connor safety system for cross-country
• Horsemanship and stable management skills
• Professional show-grooming techniques
• O'Connor "horses-first" training methods
• Secrets of dressage
• Fundamentals of show jumping
• Keys to success in cross-country

In addition to the grand prize winner, second- and third-place winners will be drawn. The second-place winner will receive $250 in KER nutritional supplements, and the third-place winner will receive $150 in products. All winners will get an additional prize package that includes a nutrition consultation for one horse, an embroidered saddle pad, and a hat.

To enter the contest, just sign up for KER's award-winning free weekly newsletters, The Weekly Feed and Equine Health Review. Already a subscriber? Just select the newsletter you already receive. Enter the contest.

The winners will be selected June 15, 2011, and will be notified by e-mail. See official contest rules here.

The camp is targeted toward riders at the equivalent of Beginner Novice through Advanced, but it is not limited to eventers; equestrians from all other disciplines are welcome. Campers must be at least 12 years of age; those under 18 must be accompanied by a responsible adult for the entire camp. See more frequently asked questions about O'Connor Event Camp.

Stabling for one horse is included in the entry. The winner is responsible for all transportation to and from the event, as well as lodging and horse care during the event.

David and Karen O'Connor have long been associated with KER, an international equine nutrition, research, and consultation company that serves both the horse owner and the feed industry. Its goal is to advance the industry's knowledge of equine nutrition and exercise physiology, and apply this knowledge to produce healthier, more athletic horses. Learn more about KER at ker.com.

Olympian Karen O'Connor has set her sights on this fall's Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games, reports veteran groom Max Corcoran. O'Connor, who is sponsored by Kentucky Equine Research (KER), holds one of 16 spots on the 2010 Land Rover U.S. Eventing Team Short List with longtime mount and Olympic partner Mandiba.

Their next steps in qualifying for WEG will include dressage training with Oded Shimoni and competing in jumper classes at the HITS Culpeper Spring & Summer Show Series. Their next event will be the Richland Park Horse Trials in late August, before heading to the official selection trials, the Land Rover/USEA American Eventing Championships at Chattahoochee Hills.

Corcoran is responsible for O'Connor's top horses, and works with Karen and consultants at KER to assess each horse's different nutritional needs. Each one has to be catered to differently in order to perform its best.

"The most important elements leading up to a competition are overall health of the horse, starting with nutrition," Corcoran said. "Without proper nutrition you cannot have a healthy horse and a healthy horse is a sound horse. My priorities until that time are fitness and soundness as well."

KER products used by O'Connor team include EquiShure™, Restore™, DuraPlex®, Nano•E™, Triad™, Bio-Bloom™, and Hemabuild™, while feed is provided by KER Team Member Pennfield Equine Feed Technologies.

The United States Equestrian Federation has selected Phillip Dutton as a member of the eventing team that will represent the United States in the 2008 Olympic Games. Dutton, a Pennsylvania resident, will ride the Irish Sport Horse gelding Connaught in the competition. Chosen as team alternate was Karen O'Connor riding Mandiba. Dutton was also named to the alternate list with a second horse, Woodburn. These horses all train and compete on feeds formulated by Kentucky Equine Research and manufactured by KER Team Member Pennfield Feeds. Dutton and O'Connor are sponsored by Pennfield Feeds and Kentucky Equine Research.

Horses and riders sponsored by Kentucky Equine Research and/or its Team Member companies make up almost half of the Eventing Short List for the 2008 Olympic Games. Phillip Dutton has qualified three horses--Connaught, The Foreman, and Woodburn. Karen O'Connor has one horse, Mandiba, on the list. After retiring her experienced mount Winsome Adante, Kim Severson rode Tipperary Liadhnan to a qualifying score this spring. Dutton and O'Connor are sponsored by KER; Dutton, O'Connor, and Severson are sponsored by Pennfield Corporation. The equestrian competition for the Olympic Games will be held in Hong Kong from August 8 to 14.

At the Jersey Fresh CCI three-star event, Karen O'Connor and Mandiba were seventh and Phillip Dutton and Loose'N'Cool were tenth in the three-star division. Dutton also claimed third place with Risk Taker and fifth place with Bailey Wick in the two-star division. O'Connor and Dutton are sponsored by Pennfield Feeds and KER.

Phillip Dutton and Connaught.
Photo: Becky Young

Thanks to a careful stadium jumping round, Phillip Dutton and his Irish Sport Horse gelding Connaught claimed victory at the 2008 Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event. Dutton, one of only two riders to avoid penalties in the stadium phase, moving up from second place in the final minutes of the competition when leader Becky Holder had two rails down. Karen O'Connor and her diminutive mount Theodore O'Connor, a Sport Pony gelding, finished in sixth place, while Dutton also had a tenth-place finish with Woodburn, a New Zealand Thoroughbred gelding. Dutton and O'Connor are sponsored by Kentucky Equine Research and Pennfield Feeds, a KER Team Member. Another Pennfield-sponsored rider, Kim Severson, claimed fifth place on Tipperary Liadhnan, an Irish Sport Horse gelding